Management
has become an essential feature of everyday life- at home, in office, factory or
in government. In all types of organizations where a group of people assemble
for a common purpose, management principles come into play in connection with
the utilization of resources, finance and planning, policies and procedures.

Management is
a systematic way of carrying out activity in any field of human effort. Lack of
management causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even
depression.

Deploying
men, money and materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances
and environment, is the most important factor in successful management. Of late,
there has been a surge of interest in the concept of spirituality
in management.

According to
management gurus, basically there are two reasons for this increased interest in
spirituality. First, the employees’ need for meaningful existence. People are
looking for more meaning not only in their personal but also professional life.
Second, corporate leadership is looking for newer ways to motivate employees and
provide innovative solutions.

What Is Spirituality?

According to
the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
of Current English, the word spirituality means “ the quality of being
concerned with religion or the human spirit.” However, there are different
interpretations of the word by different people. Some associate it with God,
while some others consider it a state of mental peace and happiness. Whatever
the interpretation, spirituality is a clear process to develop a sense of
morality and ethics within oneself, which helps the individual to be stable and
correct during interpersonal transactions.

Why Talk of Spirituality?

According to
Napoleon Bonaparte, there are only two powers in the world—the spirit and the
sword. In the long run, the sword will be defeated by the spirit.

The
University of California-trained Harold Quinton and the distinguished Professor
of Business Policy at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern
California, Professor Ian I. Mitrott, in their study after extensive interaction
with over 200 leaders of organizations, “A Spiritual Audit of Corporate
America” found that spirituality is one of the most important determinants of
organizational performance.

Spiritually
better evolved people achieve better results. In fact, spirituality may well be
the ultimate competitive advantage.

Based on
their research, they have presented five models existing in America today. It
will be interesting to note that of them only one model has anything to do with
religion and the others focus on values, meaning and the potentiality of human
beings and the community.

Studies have
proved time and again that by implanting the concept of spirituality at the work
place tremendous successes can be achieved. It is nothing but a process of
acknowledging that people come to work with more than their bodies and minds;
they bring individual talent and unique spirits.

Nowadays
spirituality in management is a key topic at seminars and conferences. A number
of factors have brought spirituality to the center stage of discussions. A few
of them are:

Corporate downsizing and
retrenchment

Luxurious lifestyles

Balancing personal and
professional life.

Materialistic business
approach.

Role conflicts

Besides
these, spirituality has gained importance because of the problem of survival in
this hypercompetitive world, where growth of education, social upliftment, etc.,
are common features. Employees no longer are happy with professional success or
material gains.

Pressure on Human Resource

In the
knowledge-driven society of today human resource provides the cutting edge to
organizations, as all other resources are equally accessible. In the other
words, to create either structured or consumer capital, human capital is the
king. So, there is a lot of focus and pressure on the human resource to give off
its best.

Such
performance pressure is bound to create stress and strain at the work place,
resulting in under performance. That is why nowadays spirituality is being
practiced at the work place through various tools and techniques.

The
techniques may be different, but all of them aim at the same goal, that is, to
awaken your inner self, to justify your way of work and to make you mentally and
morally fit, so that you give off your best to the organization to accomplish
the organizational goals. Some popular tools of spirituality being used
now-a-days are:

Vipasaana
: Silent meditation

Transcendental
Meditation

Pranayama

Sudarsana
Kriya

Practice
of Raja Yoga

Siddha
Samadhi Yoga (SSY)

Some opine
that spirituality is a fad. But, then, what is wrong in that? As long as it
provides better solutions to business and personal problems, even a fad can be
good and useful. In fact, this is the reason for the growing interest in
spirituality.

For Functioning with Integrity

It is
interesting to note that US President George W. Bush recently asked his
immediate subordinates to take a course in ethical behavior. By doing so, Bush
has only reaffirmed the emerging need, even in an age of technology and
rationality, for public figures and those in positions of responsibility to
function with integrity.

As all know,
no administrator can afford to ignore the fundamental link between effective
leadership and integrity. While people may set flexible standards for themselves
in day-to-day life, they invariably expect high standards from those who
progress to lead them, that is, leadership by authenticity. So, whether Bush is
engaged in an image-enhancing exercise or he is genuinely concerned over falling
standards of ethical behavior , the issue remains relevant.

There are
countless training programmes in the corporate sector in India and abroad that
aim at revitalizing the company in a spiritual fashion. Mr. Mitroff and Mr.
Denton in their study asked their respondents “what meaning does spirituality
have for them even if no one else agrees with it.” Certain ideas were offered
over and over again. This led them to define spirituality as:

Personal,
not structured, organized or formal, in contrast with conventional religion.

Non-denominational

Inclusive
of, embracing every one.

Universal
and timeless and

The
ultimate source and provider of meaning and purpose.

Is It Really Practised?

Is
spirituality really being practiced? The answer is simply ‘yes’.
Spirituality has the power to obtain the desired results and to minimize human
relations problems’ hence, it is gaining priority nowadays among professionals
as well as academicians.

It will not
be wrong to state that spiritual methodologies have been considered as the last
hope by business and professions to tackle all problems. In this era of
cut-throat competition, survival is possible only for companies and businesses
which are spiritual, besides being professional.

Thus, today,
spirituality is an integral part of every business activity. Buzz words such as
TQM, MBO and JIT, are being replaced by phrases, such as Aham Brahmasmi and
Tat Tvam Asi. For young managers the Bhagavad
Gita, the Mahabharata, the Panchatantra and
the Vedas are the new
encyclopedia for management.

More than 120
companies in India have tie-ups with Maharashi Mahesh Yogi’s Meditation
Courses to revitalize their work force. A study by the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS) shows that regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama
increase the flow of positive emotions. The Mount Abu based Brahamakumaris
teach regularly the value of listening, tolerance, adaptability and decision
making through the practice of RajaYogato corporate personnel.

Leading
companies are using the principles of social responsibility and good corporate
governance. While some are considered to be highly conscious of social and
environmental problems, some others are practicing ethical standards.

Age-old
Wisdom

The age-old
wisdom of the Indian seers seems to have caught on today in the world of
management. It will only be a reclaiming of our heritage if we in India return
to our spiritual lineage and reshape it, if need be, to suit the present claims.
It is apparent that we are well placed to take advantage of this knowledge
economy, owing to our celebrated spiritual heritage. Indian spirituality is
waiting in the corporate corridors ready to serve the business community. The
need is for an awareness of it.

Art
of Relieving Stress

Spirituality
now is something more than simple meditation and yoga. It is the art of relieving stress and mental hazards. As
rightly said by Prof. S.K.Chakraborty, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata,
“Industry is boldly mining the depths of Indian Wisdom, the Vedaas,
the Upanishads and the Puranas, looking
for a frame work springing from Indian roots and thought. It is time we
rediscovered our own ethos and cultural context if we are to give meaningful and
relevant management skills to the youth of the nation.”

Certainly
spirituality in the workplace is an idea whose relevance is being realized more
and more.

Dr.
A. Jagan Mohan Reddy is Associate Professor (HR) at the Institute of
PublicEnterprise,
Osmania University campus, Hyderabad. He can be reached at adamareddy@yahoo.co.in

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This
EXPERIMENT
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Spirituality into Business produces Excellent results"